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Despite loss, Seminoles’ future bright in women’s basketball

Florida State's Brittany Brown (12) shoots while South Carolina's Elem Ibiam (33) defends during the first half of a women's college basketball regional final game in the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Sunday, March 29, 2015.(Photo: Gerry Broome/AP)

Even coming off the most difficult loss of the year for Florida State, sophomore guard Brittany Brown could appreciate the accomplishments the Seminoles made this year.

The second-seeded Seminoles lost 80-74 in the Elite Eight to top-seeded South Carolina Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina. This was the second trip to the Elite Eight in program history for Florida State, and FSU held the lead for the majority of the game.

Next season, with only two senior players leaving the team, there’s plenty of room for the momentum from this year’s run to the Elite Eight to continue.

“I’m really proud of how our team did this year,” Brown said.

“Of course, we fell short of our goals, but we made history. It was just fun. This was one of my favorite years of playing basketball. I love these girls, I love the coaching staff. I’ll remember this forever; this was a great run.”

Redshirt seniors Maegan Conwright and Lauren Coleman are leaving the team. Conwright started 36 games for the Seminoles and was second on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game. She was also one of the team’s toughest defensive pieces, and led FSU with 55 steals.

Coleman saw limited action in her final season, but still contributed almost eight minutes per game.

Immediately after the loss, head coach — and ACC Coach of the Year — Sue Semrau said the game still stung, but she would take some time and look forward to next season after reflecting this year’s record-breaking run.

The Seminoles set school records for wins (32) and conference wins (14), were the only team in school history to have five players averaging double figures, won 27 of their 32 games by double digits and were the only team in Division I men’s or women’s basketball to out-rebound every opponent throughout the regular season, according to FSU sports information.

“I think the most important thing for us is understand that we lose two players,” Semrau said.

“We’ve got to use this momentum — especially in Tallahassee — to build a fan base like South Carolina has. That’s certainly something that’s extremely important in women’s basketball.

“I hope that the city of Tallahassee will jump on this bandwagon and bring something special next season to Florida State.”

Leading scorer and rebounder Adut Bulgak returns next year, along with Greensboro Regional all-tournament team member Leticia Romero. Shakayla Thomas — the ACC’s Sixth Player of the Year — will be a sophomore next season.

In total, four of the five players averaging at least 10 points per game are coming back for the Seminoles.

“The caliber of players — they were just great in a lot of ways this year,” Semrau said.

“To play that many minutes, leading what was the No. 1 team in the country at one point – they weren’t afraid. There was so much courage. They stepped into a packed house and they played great.”